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Dr. Alex, Dentist

Category: Dental

Satisfied Customers: 1609

Experience: I am a General Dentist and founder of the American School of Dental Assisting

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I have noticed a groove down the center of my tongue

Resolved Question:

I have noticed a groove down the center of my tongue recently and a few wrinkles at the end that I don't think I use to have. My tongue is also not as pink as it use to be - it has a little more white to it.

P.S. I had a tooth ache a few weeks ago in my last lower molar with swelling at the gumline and that tooth was erupting so my bite was hitting on that tooth first. The swelling has gone down now and the tooth is just a little sore when I bite and maybe a little numb. The tooth has an amalgam filling from when I was an adolescent - I am now 51. I know I should see a dentist but I have no insurance or money at this time.

Great question, let me help you. It sounds like you may have a combination of conditions, which are related, including geographic tongue and fissured tongue. These are two conditions that are commonly seen together. Geographic tongue would explain the disoloration (more white) appearance of your tongue, while fissured tongue would explain the grooves that you see. Fissured tongue often will accompany geographic tongue, and some causes of geographic tongue include eating any of a range of exacerbating/spicy foods, drinking alcohol, or during times of stress, illness, or hormonal surges. Keep in mind that once these causes go away, the tongue characteristics should resolve as well. One other possibility is that you have thrush, which is a white coating beginning to develop on your tongue. This is a fungal overgrowth that is caused by a depressed immune system or a severely dry mouth. Your dentist can prescribe Nystatin rinse to resolve thrush. If you cannot afford to see your dentist right now, then I recommend you wait 1 week and see if the condition resolves on it's own, as it likely will. Feel free to Google 'fissured tongue', 'geographic tongue', and 'oral thrush' if you want more info on these conditions. Please accept my answer if I've been helpful. Thank you.